Ashbury (St. Mary)

ASHBURY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Farringdon, hundred of Shrivenham, county of
Berks, 6¼ miles (N. W. by W.) from Lambourn; containing, with the tythings of Idstone and Odstone, and
the hamlet of Kingstone-Winslow, 819 inhabitants. It
comprises 5600 acres, a large portion of which is appropriated to dairy-farms. The living is a vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £11. 8. 1½.; net income, £375;
patron, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who presents one
of three candidates nominated by Magdalene College,
Oxford. The rectory is a sinecure, valued at £30. 12. 6.,
and now in the hands of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners; net income, £567. The tithes were commuted
for land, valued at about £500 per annum, and a money
payment, by an inclosure act in 1770; the glebe consists of 25 acres. The Roman road called the Ikeneldway passes near the village; and in the parish is an
intrenchment named Alfred's Camp, near which are two
barrows. Here are also a tumulus and cromlech,
popularly designated "Wayland Smith," with which is
connected a tradition, introduced by Sir Walter Scott in
his romance of Kenilworth.

Ashbury (St. Mary)

ASHBURY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Oakhampton, hundred of Black Torrington, Black
Torrington and Shebbear, and N. divisions of Devon,
5¼ miles (S. W. by W.) from Hatherleigh; containing
65 inhabitants. It contains about 1450 acres, in general
of a clayey soil. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £5. 13. 4., and in the gift of
the Crown; income, £96. There are 120 acres of glebe.

Ashby (St. Peter)

ASHBY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of
Caistor, wapentake of Bradley-Haverstoe, parts of
Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 6¼ miles (S. by W.) from
Grimsby; containing, with the hamlet of Fenby, 211
inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the old
road from Grimsby to Louth, and on the borders of the
Wolds, comprises, with Fenby, 1637 acres by admeasurement; the soil is fertile, and the sub-soil generally
chalk; the surface is undulated. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £14. 10. 10., and in the
gift of the Crown: the tithes have been commuted for
£252, and the glebe comprises 45 acres. The church,
a very ancient structure in the early English style, with
a square tower, contains an oak pulpit richly carved, and
an elegant octagonal font, supported on a clustered
pedestal, and panelled in quatrefoil: there are also two
handsome monuments, one of which is to the memory
of Sir William and Lady Frances Wray. There is a
chapel of ease at Fenby; also a place of worship in
the parish for Wesleyans. In 1641 six almshouses were
built by Dame Wray, and endowed by her son Sir
Christopher with a rent-charge of £30.

Ashby (St. Helen)

ASHBY (St. Helen), a parish, in the union of
Spilsby, Wold division of the wapentake of Candleshoe, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 2¼ miles
(E. by N.) from Spilsby; containing 160 inhabitants.
It comprises 906 acres by measurement. The living is
a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£7. 10. 2½.; net income, £157, arising from 135 acres of
land allotted in 1811 in lieu of tithes by an inclosure
act; patrons, the Representatives of the late Dr. Fowler,
Bishop of Ossory. The church was rebuilt in 1841.

Ashby

ASHBY, a township, in the parish of Bottesford,
union of Glandford-Brigg, E. division of the wapentake of Manley, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln,
6½ miles (W. by S.) from Glandford-Brigg; containing
429 inhabitants. The village is large and pleasant, and
the township comprises about 2100 acres, extending
over the western ridge of the Wolds to the river Trent,
near which is a tract of moory land that has just undergone the process of warping. There is a decoy, abounding in wild-duck and other aquatic birds; in the immediate vicinity of which, a handsome mansion was built in
1841, by H. Healey, Esq. Forty acres of land were
awarded to the vicar of the parish at the inclosure.
There are places of worship for Wesleyans and Primitive
Methodists.

Ashby (St. Mary)

ASHBY (St. Mary), a parish, in the East and
West Flegg incorporation, hundred of West Flegg,
E. division of Norfolk, 4 miles (N.) from Acle. This
parish, which was consolidated with those of Thirne and
Oby in 1604, now comprises about 1900 acres, whereof
800 are marsh and meadow land. The three places
form one rectory, valued in the king's books at £10,
and in the gift of the Bishop of Norwich: the tithes
have been commuted for £690. Ashby consists of only
one farm; it had formerly a church, of which there are
very slight remains. The parsonage-house, a respectable
residence, is in Oby, and has a glebe of about 23 acres.

Ashby (St. Mary)

ASHBY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Loddon and Clavering, hundred of Loddon, E. division of
Norfolk, 7½ miles (S. E.) from Norwich; containing
263 inhabitants. The waste lands were inclosed under
an act passed in 1837. The living is a rectory, united
to that of Carleton, and valued in the king's books at £6.
The church consists of a nave and chancel, with a
square tower; the entrance on the south is through a
rich Norman doorway.

Ashby (St. Mary)

ASHBY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Mutford and Lothingland, E. division
of Suffolk, 6 miles (N. W.) from Lowestoft; containing 53 inhabitants, and comprising 1003 acres. The
living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's
books at £6, and in the gift of the family of Anguish:
the tithes have been commuted for £205, and the glebe
consists of about 22 acres. The church is a small
thatched building, having a tower circular at the base,
and octangular above.

Ashby, Canons (St. Mary)

ASHBY, CANONS (St. Mary), parish, in the union
of Daventry, hundred of Greens-Norton, S. division
of the county of Northampton, 8 miles (w. by N.)
from Towcester; containing 252 inhabitants. This
place is remarkable as the residence of the family of the
poet Dryden, who obtained their property here chiefly
by marriage with Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Cope,
in the reign of Mary: Erasmus Dryden, of CanonsAshby, was made high sheriff of the county in the 40th
of Elizabeth, and advanced to the dignity of a baronet
in 1619. The parish consists of 3070a. 29p., of which
1715a. 29p. are exclusive of the chapelry of Adstone;
a portion is occupied by a well-wooded park. Here
was a priory of Black canons, founded about the time
of John, and the revenue of which at the Dissolution was
£127. 19.: in the alienation no endowment was reserved
for the service of the church, and consequently there is
now no incumbency.

Ashby, Castle (St. Mary Magdalene)

ASHBY, CASTLE (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish,
in the union of Hardingstone, hundred of Wymmersley, S. division of the county of Northampton, 8 miles
(E. by S.) from Northampton; containing 172 inhabitants. It appears to derive the prefix to its name from
an ancient castle which is thought to have stood near
the site of the present magnificent mansion of the Marquess of Northampton, where the foundation stones of
a large building have been discovered. The parish comprises 1889a. 2r. of land, the greater part arable; the
soil is a strong clay, the sub-soil mostly limestone, in
some parts gravel. The living is a rectory, valued in
the king's books at £17. 9. 7., and in the gift of the
marquess: the tithes have been commuted for £237.
18. 2., and the glebe consists of 120 acres. The church
forms a picturesque object in his lordship's grounds,
and is principally in the decorated style of English
architecture; the north entrance is through a beautiful
Norman arch in good preservation. Some skeletons
and warlike weapons of an early date have been dug up
in the neighbourhood.

Ashby, Cold (St. Denis)

ASHBY, COLD (St. Denis), a parish, in the union
of Brixworth, hundred of Guilsborough, S. division
of the county of Northampton, 11½ miles (N. W. by N.)
from Northampton; containing 443 inhabitants. This
parish, which comprises by computation 2077 acres,
forms a verdant tract of elevated ground, and is traversed
on the north-east by the road from Northampton to
Leicester. From the bold declivity terminating the
lofty ridge upon which the village stands, extensive and
beautiful prospects are obtained of the surrounding
country. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £6. 0. 5.; net income, £230; patron and incumbent, the Rev. W. Mousley; impropriators, the
family of Buxton: the glebe consists of about 120 acres
of good arable land. The church was repaired and repewed in 1840, at which time the incumbent presented
a new organ and two stained-glass windows. Here is a
school endowed with £18 per annum, and with £6 arising
from land. Richard Knowles, the historian of the
Turkish Empire, was born here in 1540.

Ashby-De-La-Launde (St. Hybald)

ASHBY-DE-LA-LAUNDE (St. Hybald), a parish,
in the union of Sleaford, wapentake of Flaxwell,
parts of Kesteven, county of Lincoln, 6¼ miles (N.
by W.) from Sleaford; containing 157 inhabitants. It
comprises 2580a. 3r., of which 2296 acres are arable,
222 grass, and 62 woodland, &c. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6. 8. 4.;
net income, £299; patron and impropriator, the Rev.
John King.

Ashby-De-La-Zouch (St. Helen)

ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH (St. Helen), a markettown, parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of
West Goscote, N. division of the county of Leicester,
18 miles (N. W. by W.) from Leicester, and 115 (N. W. by
N.) from London; containing, with part of the ecclesiastical district of Woodville and part of the chapelry of
Blackfordby, 5652 inhabitants. The name appears to
be derived from the Saxon Asc, an ash, and bye, a
habitation: it received the adjunct by which it is distinguished from other towns of the same name, from the
family of La Zouch, in whose possession it continued
from the latter part of the twelfth to the close of the
fourteenth century. Sir William Hastings, created
Baron Hastings by Edward IV., and who was beheaded
by Richard III., built a strong castle here in the reign
of the former monarch, in which Mary, Queen of Scots,
while in the custody of the Earl of Huntingdon, was for
some time kept in confinement; and in this castle also
Anne, consort of James I., and her son Prince Henry,
were magnificently entertained by the fourth earl of
Huntingdon, on their journey from York to London in
1603. At the commencement of the parliamentary war,
the fifth earl was one of the first that appeared in arms
for the king in Leicestershire, and Ashby Castle was
garrisoned for his majesty by the earl's second son,
Col. Henry Hastings, who was made general of the king's
forces in the midland counties, and, for his services to
the royal cause, was in 1643 created Baron Loughborough. The king was here, on his march to and
from Leicester, in May and June 1645. After sustaining a siege of several months from the army under
Fairfax, Lord Loughborough surrendered the castle to
Col. Needham, in February 1646, on honourable terms,
the garrison being allowed to march out with all the
honours of war. The castle was one of the fortresses
demolished by order of a committee of the house of
commons, about the end of the year 1649: the remaining portions form an extensive and interesting
mass of ruins, consisting of the great tower, the chapel,
the kitchen tower, and apart evidently of much earlier
date than the tower, as some portion of it was standing
in the time of Richard I. The late Marquess of Hastings
expended a considerable sum in repairing parts of these
ruins, and arresting the progress of decay; and on the
site of a building which stood to the north of the castle,
and at right angles with it, erected for the accommodation of the suite of James I. when visiting the Earl of
Huntingdon, he raised a handsome structure in the later
English style, designated the Manor-house.

The town, a great part of which was destroyed by fire
in 1753, is pleasantly situated on the banks of the small
river Gilwisthaw, at the north-western extremity of the
county; and consists principally of one very spacious
street, with two smaller streets extending in a parallel direction, and containing several substantial and well-built
houses. It is lighted with gas, and measures have been
lately taken for supplying it with water. South of the
town stand the Ivanhoe Baths, a handsome structure of
the Doric order, erected in 1826. The building consists
of a centre, containing a spacious pump-room, surmounted by a lofty dome with rich architectural decorations; and of two wings, in each of which are six baths
provided with every accommodation. The water is
furnished from an adjacent mine, and contains, according to a recent analysis by Dr. Ure, larger proportions
of the salts of chlorine combined with bromine than any
other mineral water in the kingdom; it is employed
both internally and externally, as a remedial agent in
many chronic diseases, with great advantage. Commodious pleasure-grounds are attached to the baths;
and the town contains lodging-houses, a handsome
hotel, a theatre, and other sources of attraction requisite
in a place of fashionable resort.

Ashby is situated in an extensive carboniferous district; the principal collieries are at Moira, and are the
property of the Marquess of Hastings. The coal is
worked at a thousand feet from the surface, and is of a
superior quality; large quantities are transported to the
southern and western counties, and it has been recently
introduced in London with great success. The neighbouring wolds, which are now inclosed and populous, abound
with minerals, particularly ironstone; there is also
found an excellent clay, used for making yellow ware,
extensive manufactories of which are carried on at
Woodville and Gresley. A canal passes within three
miles south-westward of the town, with which it is connected by a railroad; and after continuing a course of
more than thirty miles, unimpeded by a single lock, it
forms a junction with the Coventry canal. The market
is on Saturday; and fairs are held on Shrove-Monday,
Easter-Tuesday, Whit-Tuesday, the last Monday in
Sept., and the 10th of Nov., for horses and cattle: this
is stated to be the best market for strong horses in
England. A constable and two headboroughs are appointed at the court leet of the lord of the manor. The
powers of the county debt-court of Ashby, established in
1847, extend over the registration-district of Ashby.

The parish comprises about 7000 acres. The living
is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£14. 10. 4.; net income, £417; patron and impropriator, the Marquess of Hastings. 150 acres of land
belong to the living in this parish, and 33 in that of
Whitwick. The church is a spacious structure in the
decorated English style, and contains, in an adjoining
sepulchral chapel, several monuments of the Huntingdon family, among which is one to the memory of
Francis, Earl of Huntingdon, and his countess, deserving particular notice. A church dedicated to the
Holy Trinity was erected at an expense of £3000, on a
site given by the late marquess, and was consecrated on
the 13th of August 1840; it is a handsome structure,
and contains 900 sittings, of which 600 are free. The
cost of the building was defrayed by subscription, aided
by the Incorporated Society, the Church Commissioners,
and the Board at Leicester. The living is a perpetual
curacy, in the gift of the Vicar of Ashby: towards the
endowment the Additional Curates' Society granted
£500, and the fund for the purpose now amounts to
£1950, the interest of which and the pew-rents constitute the income of the minister. At Woodville is a district church: in the township of Blackfordby is a chapel
of ease; and there are places of worship in the parish
for Baptists, the Connexion of the Countess of Huntingdon, Independents, and Wesleyaus.

The free grammar school was founded in 1567, by
Henry, Earl of Huntingdon, and others, and endowed
with 120 houses and 75 acres of land. It provides instruction to upwards of 100 boys; and has three
exhibitions of £40 a year to either of the two universities, and ten exhibitions of £10 per annum to Emmanuel
College, Cambridge, founded by Francis Ash, merchant,
of London, together with a lectureship of £20 a year
from the same foundation. A Blue-coat school was
instituted in 1669, and endowed with £25 per annum,
by Isaac Dawson; and a Green-coat school was established and endowed by Alderman Newton, of Leicester:
they are now united, and contain about 50 boys. The
Rev. Simeon Ash, a native of Ashby, gave £50 per
annum, directing that £10 should be appropriated to
the apprenticing of two boys yearly in some corporate
town, and that the remainder should be distributed
among the poor. The union of which Ashby is the
head comprises seventeen parishes or places in the
county of Leicester, and eleven in the county of Derby,
and contains a population of 14,234. A great number
of Roman coins has been found here. Bishop Hall, an
eminent divine and satirist, and Dr. John Bainbridge, a
celebrated astronomer and mathematician, were born in
the town, the former in 1574, and the latter in 1582.

Ashby-Folville (St. Mary)

ASHBY-FOLVILLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Melton-Mowbray, hundred of East Goscote, N. division of the county of Leicester, 6 miles
(S. W. by S.) from Melton-Mowbray; containing, with
the chapelry of Bardsby, 437 inhabitants. It comprises
2829a. 1r. 13p. of which 2298 acres are pasture, 461
arable, and 70 woodland. The living is a discharged
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £9; net income,
£170; patron, Mr. Black; impropriators, the family of
Johnston. Lord Carrington, in 1673, founded and
endowed an almshouse for seven poor men or women,
the endowment of which produces £135 per annum.

Ashby Magna (St. Mary)

ASHBY MAGNA (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Lutterworth, hundred of Guthlaxton, S.
division of the county of Leicester, 4 miles (N. by E.)
from Lutterworth; containing 337 inhabitants, and
comprising by measurement 2000 acres. The living is
a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 18. 11½.;
net income, £120; patron and impropriator, the Earl
of Aylesford. The glebe consists of 49 acres.

Ashby, Mears (All Saints)

ASHBY, MEARS (All Saints), a parish, in the
union of Wellingborough, hundred of Hamfordshoe, N. division of the county of Northampton,
4 miles (W. by S.) from Wellingborough; containing 496
inhabitants. It comprises 1500 acres, of which more
than two-thirds are arable land; and is beautifully situated about a mile from the road between Wellingborough
and Northampton, and two miles distant from the navigable river Nene. There is an extensive quarry of excellent freestone, from which many mansions have been
built. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £4. 13. 9., and in the gift of Mrs. Maria
Newby; net income, £235: the glebe consists of about
20 acres, with a house in good repair. The south side
of the church has been rebuilt; the tower is very
ancient. A free school is endowed with land assigned,
on the inclosure of waste grounds, in lieu of property
purchased with a bequest of £200 by Sarah Kinloch, in
1720; the rental is about £60. Land also, producing
about £30 per annum, is appropriated to the repair of
highways and bridges.

Ashby Parva (St. Peter)

ASHBY PARVA (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of Lutterworth, hundred of Guthlaxton, S.
division of the county of Leicester, 3 miles (N. N. W.)
from Lutterworth; containing 179 inhabitants. It
comprises about 750 acres, of which three-fourths are
pasture land; the soil is clay and gravel. Within a
mile and a half is a station on the Midland railway.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£5. 7. 6., and in the patronage of the Crown; net
income, £98: the glebe consists of 34 acres. Mrs.
Goodacre, in 1830, bequeathed the whole of her property, amounting to £6574, after payment of all debts
and legacies, to her niece Mrs. Bowyer; who, in pursuance of the testator's will, expended a part of the
money in erecting almshouses for eight widows, and two
schoolrooms with dwelling-houses; and laid out the
residue in the purchase of estates producing £150 a year
for their endowment. On the inclosure of the parish in
1665, fourteen acres of land, yielding £28 per annum,
were allotted towards the reduction of the poor-rates,
and three acres, producing £7 per annum, to the repair
of the church.

Ashby-Puerorum (St. Andrew)

ASHBY-PUERORUM (St. Andrew), a parish, in
the union of Horncastle, hundred of Hill, parts of
Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 4¼ miles (E. N. E.) from
Horncastle; containing, with the hamlet of Stainsby,
and Holbeck extra-parochial, 111 inhabitants. Ashby
Puerorum, which comprises 1500 acres, chiefly arable,
derives its affix from its connexion with the singing
boys of Lincoln Cathedral, for whose benefit the great
tithes are received. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £6. 3. 2.; net income,
£118; patrons, the Dean and Chapter.

Ashby St. Ledger's (St. Mary and St. Leodgare)

ASHBY ST. LEDGER'S (St. Mary and St. Leodgare), a parish, in the union of Daventry, hundred of
Fawsley, S. division of the county of Northampton,
3½ miles (N.) from Daventry; containing 257 inhabitants. This parish, which comprises 1902a. 2r. 4p., is
bounded on the east by the Roman Watling-street, and
situated near the London and Birmingham railway and
the Union canal. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 4., and in the
patronage of the Senhouse family; net income, £130,
which arises from 66 acres of glebe. The church is in
the later English style; it contains a richly ornamented
screen and rood-loft, and in the windows are some
remains of ancient painted glass. Sir William Catesby,
favourite of Richard III., and owner of the manor, was
buried within the altar-rails, under a marble slab with a
rich brass in fine preservation; and Robert Catesby,
the conspirator, of the time of James I., resided here,
where he had property.

Ashby, West (All Saints)

ASHBY, WEST (All Saints), a parish, in the
union and soke of Horncastle, parts of Lindsey,
county of Lincoln, 1¾ mile (N.) from Horncastle; containing, with the hamlets of Farthorpe and Middlethorpe, 534 inhabitants. It is pleasantly situated at the
foot of the Wolds, on the road from Horncastle to
Louth, and is intersected in the western part by the
river Bane, and in the eastern by the river Waring. The
whole extent by measurement is 2900 acres, of which
two-thirds are arable, and one-third meadow and pasture; the soil is extremely fertile. The village is one
of the most pleasing in the county, and remarkable for
the neatness of its buildings, the excellence of the roads
leading to it, and the beauty of the surrounding scenery.
The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £54;
patron and appropriator, the Bishop of Carlisle. The
church is a handsome edifice in the later English style,
with a square embattled tower, and partly mantled with
ivy.

Ashchurch (St. Nicholas)

ASHCHURCH (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the
union, and Lower division of the hundred, of Tewkesbury, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 2¼
miles (E. N. E.) from Tewkesbury; containing, with the
tythings of Aston-upon-Carron, Fiddington with Natton,
Northway with Newton, and Pamington, 743 inhabitants.
This parish, the name of which was originally Eastchurch, from its relative situation to the church of
Tewkesbury, is on the road from Tewkesbury to Stow,
and comprises by computation 3150 acres. A station
on the Birmingham and Gloucester railway is situated
close to the village. The living is a perpetual curacy;
net income, £48; patron and incumbent, the Rev. John
Askew. The tithes were partially commuted for land,
under an inclosure act, in 1811; the glebe consists of
about 25 acres. The church is a handsome edifice,
chiefly in the English style, with a square embattled
tower crowned with pinnacles; the south entrance is
by a Norman porch of elegant design. Mrs. Smithsend
bequeathed £400, appropriating £7. 7. per annum to the
Sunday school, and the remainder to the purchasing of
blankets for distribution annually among the poor. A
spring resembling the Cheltenham waters was discovered
a few years since.